Mumbai is a very densely populated city, with 73,000 residents per square mile. If you have never experienced being thrown into the centre of such a crowded city, which I had not, you'll quickly come to realise that the fast-pace chaotic streets all surprisingly work in unison.
From my experience, arriving in India through Mumbai is definitely throwing yourself in at the deep end. From the moment you step out of the airport, you feel the blistering heat and humidity (around 40 degrees) even in the night time. My flight arrived at around 3:00am on the 21st May, and I knew that finding an Indian sim card was the first thing on my agenda. Luckily, there was one telecom provider just before the exit of the airport - Airtel. I was expecting to have to pay a stupid amount for the sim but I was surprised that it only cost ₹600 (roughly £6) for 30 days of around 1GB a day. It took a few hours to actually begin working so I couldn't order an Uber, which I heard was widely used in India, so I began asking around for the taxi rank. Luckily, a nice gentleman offered to share his hotspot so I could order an Uber straight to the hostel I was staying in. I'm still grateful for how generous he was, and that was only the beginning of how kind and helpful the locals have been towards me. Once finding the Uber pick-up spot, the blaring sound of car horns was almost deafening, but I managed to find my driver. A small squared car (usually a Suzuki Wagon R) rolled up and I jumped in. As we were speeding out of the airport, I quickly realised that the beeping of the horns wasn't going to stop any time soon, even when driving throughout the night. No seatbelt, no 4G and no clue if the driver was taking me the right way, I felt like a helpless tourist. Arriving and stopping down a dark alleyway, I asked the driver if we had arrived, but he didn't speak a word of English. I jumped out, walked around in a circle in the pitch black, and luckily found an older guy cooking through an open doorway. He pointed me towards the hostel, thankfully.
Namastey backpackers hostel (a play on the the respectful Hindu greeting "Namaste") is a renovated two-story house with a fenced off social area outside, which is where I first stepped into. After the adrenaline calmed down, I realised quickly that I was drenched in sweat; not sure if it was the humidity or the sheer panic of thinking I was getting mugged. Either way, I was just happy I got checked in and had a bed for the night.
I woke up and the aircon had been turned off, I could've went insane. Spoke to a couple of English guys who told me the aircon gets turned off during the day, so it forces people to get up and out. I still don't really understand that logic. After asking the best place to get water, they laughed, and told me I'll find it everywhere and to never pay more than 20 rupees (£0.20). So I got ready, got some water, and headed out for a nice stroll around the city, which was my first experience of culture shock. Maybe I was naive to what I would experience when solo travelling India, but, the first day, I really felt as if I had a big target on my back. Mumbai firstly doesn't have any pavements, so you are walking on the road beside the masses of cars, tuktuks and scooters, praying you won't get your foot caught under a tyre. Secondly, as a white man (*New Girl reference) visiting India during the off-peak tourist season, you do feel a lot of eyes burning into the back of your head. As well as the stares, I was approached every 10-20 seconds by either tuktuk drivers, shopkeepers, beggars asking for food, and even very young children chasing after me and grabbing onto my leg, hoping I'll give them money. I knew that India has an ongoing problem with poverty (10% of residents were considered poor in 2019, meaning they were making less than $2.15 USD or £1.68 per day) so I was prepared to interact with many struggling people on the streets. But there is something so jaw-dropping about watching two young children (maybe 3-4 years old) sprinting across an incredibly busy road to interact with you. It's disheartening to see poverty in such a way.
I won't lie, I found the first day quite difficult to buy food. I honestly didn't know where to go or what to ask for. It's definitely something I would advise researching before arriving. You hear stories of Delhi belly which in my case made me worry about all of the street stalls. Over time, that anxiety disappears and you start to realise that it's out of your control whether it happens. Basically what I am saying is eat everything and anything you can, but be wary for certain less busy food stalls. What I learnt was that the busier food stalls will have a constant turn-over of food, meaning it's not sitting and building up bacteria. Also, any drink that is boiled is safe to consume, even if the pot looks horrid (masala chai looks disgusting but it's one of the nicest drinks I've had out here).
After 3 days in Mumbai, I did the majority of the "top sights" but being completely honest, there aren't many. Not that it's a bad thing, but I quickly learned that being amidst the chaos and the culture itself is enough of an experience. Seeing the Gateway of India is pretty interesting (it was built to celebrate the arrival of King George V when he was named Emperor of India in 1911, Emperor is such a funny term to me). This is where I had my first experience of groups of people asking for photographs with me. The mother of a large family, a small woman wearing a traditional green dress, approached me and politely asked if they could get a picture. Of course I said yes, but I didn't realise she meant a picture with each individual child. I didn't mind because they were all so polite. She shook my hand after, and all of the kids stood with their arm out copying their mum. Maybe I'm wrong but it was as if they had never shook hands before, which would make sense because the most common way to greet people in India is to bow and say "namaste". I thought it was a really sweet gesture from the family. The photographs didn't stop there! A young couple approached and asked, and how could I say no! Once people saw that I was happy to take a picture, they knew it was a good opportunity to try their luck.
Throughout the day I took a couple more pictures and met some really kind people. The security guards at the Elephanta caves offered to walk around with me and take pictures, but I wasn't sure if they were hoping for a quick tip afterwards. The one hour ferry to the caves was actually a breeze but having to walk up the steps for 40 minutes in the blistering 50 degree heat almost took me out. The carvings on the island are possibly from the 2nd century BC by Hinayana buddhists, but is now devoted to both Hinduism as well as buddhism. After declining a very persistent tour guide, I had my first attempt at haggling. Now this is where I found myself to be most naive. What I have been told about haggling is you have to start extremely low compared to the initial offer, well-over half of the amount, even a third, of what they offer. It may seem disrespectful, but at the end of the day you are trying to get the best value for money and they know how to play the game. Don't budge with your price until they offer something significantly less - they respect the hustle if you know what you are doing. Even make an attempt at walking away if you have to. One backpacker that I met told me that you should always tell the market seller that you are "only looking". They will most likely continue offering a lower price as an initial offer, from which you begin the haggle. Only ever do this when there is not a set price on an item, for example, do not do this in restaurants, cafes - I avoided doing it with any food or drink.
Mumbai sunsets are some of the most amazing I have ever witnessed. Either from Juhu beach or Marine Drive; it's honestly like nothing you've ever seen before. I got an Uber to drive along the Marine Drive in the evening, and it was the best way to experience this in my opinion. Seeing the the Mumbai skyline shadowed by the orange sky is incredible. Juhu beach is an experience itself, with thousands of locals gathering there each day. I got talking about why it was so busy with some locals, and they explained that Mumbai doesn't have many things to do for locals to relax and have some down-time, but I was amazed to see the huge crowd that covered the beach on a random Tuesday. Seeing games of cricket being played on the sand, with the sun setting in the background, is exactly how I imagined evenings in India to play out.
Unintentionally, each of my three days in Mumbai were completely different experiences; the first, seeing the chaos in every aspect and dealing with the culture shock; the second, seeing the history, the attractions, and trying to understand how the city functions; and lastly, discovering that there are venues (cafes, restaurants etc) that completely contradict the hectic atmosphere found on every street of Mumbai. Subko cafe in Bandra was like a safe-haven to me. The calm ambience gave me time to relax and collect my thoughts, eat good food, and honestly changed my perspective on the city itself. It was very much a student cafe, with everybody working on laptops, writing in notebooks, or catching up with friends. It made me realise that the entirety of Mumbai, and even India, isn't all mayhem and madness, and that Indian people too need to get out of the constant rush of the city.
One of my final meals in Mumbai was at a place called Jimi's Burger restaurant, which one of my roommates talked highly of. It was opposite the hostel, the entrance was a sketchy elevator opening onto the street, and guarded by security. All for a burger place? When the elevator doors opened on the first floor, the empty restaurant workers all turned to face my way, smiled generously, and a couple of them began walking towards me. I was seated, my bottled water opened and poured for me, which was a little over the top, but I could tell that they were really trying to make the service as proper as possible. Throughout my meal, the staff were wandering around the empty restaurant, hands behind their back, displaying a different kind of mannerisms to the rest of the cities residents. Although different, I really liked and respected it. The chicken burger was served disassembled, filled with incredible sauces and spices, and took me by surprise, not like anything you would be served in Scotland. Of course it doesn't compare to the curry and roti combination but I thought it was really interesting to try the Indian take on a "western" dish.
To start my trip in Mumbai was extremely overwhelming to begin with. I had moments of feeling like a brainless and ignorant tourist, but i learned that it was normal to feel like you didn't belong there. It was only because of the sympathetic and helpful people I interacted with, that I realised the feeling of sticking out was purely down to curiosity. Yes, many people view you as a way to make some good money, but when you look at the bigger picture you have to respect the hustle. The outlook on making money in India is wildly different to the majority of the Western world. To make money is to survive and put food on the table for a large portion of the population, even giving up a roof over their heads to achieve this. Even after three days I felt as if I had learned so much, but when it came to attempting to navigate the train system, that was an entirely different experience. One in which I couldn't have prepared for.
Mumbai's Marine Drive
From: 21st May 2024
Until: 24th May 2024
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